What can be done to level the playing field?

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.



This.

OP, please look this up. How much $$ is being spent on the worst schools vs the best ones?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.


This!!!!!! When are they going to learn this???? You cannot lift these kids up by stealing from
Our kids who have two loving parents at home including one present to meet the bus, provide a healthy snack, talk about school and work together on homework, then run carpool to sports, home cooked dinner, and any other enrichment (piano practice, play some chess, make up funny rhymes to memorize history and math).


Agreed. The solution for schools is to improve social services, housing, health care availablity and narrow the income gap.



And also fix climate change, find life in Mars, and make boys behave like girls.

Until then, schools cannot do anything on their own.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So a poor kid of illiterate or non English speaking parents will have no benefit or even regress if they attend free high quality pre-k?

Bull ! People are so scared of their mediocre kid getting outperformed by poor POC kids aren’t they?



Our ESOL students who attend pre-k are so much better off than the ESOL students who start in kindergarten. It's hard to learn content at the same time as learning language. I've only had one student in the last 12 years who started in kindergarten with no English who was able to keep up with the grade level standards. She just started high school at the best high school in our district because she's incredibly intelligent. She tested out of ESOL in just two years. Amazing kid.


It’s possible to keep up if the content has already been learned in another language.
That’s why MC kids test out so quickly out of ESOL
But if you essentially learn nothing in either language and it’s been like that for a few generations then yes it’s tough
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.



This.

OP, please look this up. How much $$ is being spent on the worst schools vs the best ones?


Depends on how the money is spent. It’s usually spent on tech and other bells and whistles in bad schools. It needs to be spent hiring extra teachers
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It can't be done. Proven time and time again. We should just give up on this idea and go to another plan.



When have we offered universal pre- k to all? Class sizes in public school as small as private school ( max 15). Universal Year round schooling and late opening hours to mitigate extra tutoring and enrichment by the middle class/rich?

The answer is never so we have never done what would work to actually level the playing field. What happens outside the classroom is at least equally if not more important. Kids need supervision to get homework done, intervention if behind, the ability to move at their own pace.


This. And also outlaw private schools except ones that only do religious education.


So that would not be legal. Even if it were -- some many parents would vote anyone out that put this in. Solutions do not involve taking from one and giving to another. You have to add to both. Give parents a reason not to use private school. Lift everyone.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So a poor kid of illiterate or non English speaking parents will have no benefit or even regress if they attend free high quality pre-k?

Bull ! People are so scared of their mediocre kid getting outperformed by poor POC kids aren’t they?



Our ESOL students who attend pre-k are so much better off than the ESOL students who start in kindergarten. It's hard to learn content at the same time as learning language. I've only had one student in the last 12 years who started in kindergarten with no English who was able to keep up with the grade level standards. She just started high school at the best high school in our district because she's incredibly intelligent. She tested out of ESOL in just two years. Amazing kid.


It’s possible to keep up if the content has already been learned in another language.
That’s why MC kids test out so quickly out of ESOL
But if you essentially learn nothing in either language and it’s been like that for a few generations then yes it’s tough



I teach in a Title 1 school. Most older newcomers have limited/interrupted education. It's not unusual to get Spanish speakers in grades 3-5 who cannot read or write in Spanish. I don't know any ESOL teachers in my district who teach MC students.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Sorry for staying the obvious but ESOL kids are fluent in a foreign language. Instead of seeing them as an educational hinderance look at the huge benefits. Search for relevant foreign newspapers online covering a major event in history or geography or social studies. Set reading lists of books from country of origin. Discuss how western medias portray of a country or event aligns with the local populations take. There is a lot of rich material there to mine.


Lots of kids entering our schools are NOT fluent in a foreign language. They are illiterate in their own language as well.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I am a child of poor Asian immigrants. I hated being poor. My parents taught me that with education, you can move from the bottom to the top. I was a free lunch kid. I had to translate for my parents. I filled out all their forms. We now have a seven figure income. I still have to make phone calls, translate and fill out all their forms.

The child has to want change.

I have friends from childhood who blame their parents or racism. They think it isn’t fair for X reason. Others don’t make excuses and just worked hard.


I have met some of the Afghan evacuation refugees and so many of children are just like you were. They have learned English so quickly - for survival really. They are the translators. This 9yo girl was sent along with her mother to an even l was giving her a ride to and she came as her translator.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a child of poor Asian immigrants. I hated being poor. My parents taught me that with education, you can move from the bottom to the top. I was a free lunch kid. I had to translate for my parents. I filled out all their forms. We now have a seven figure income. I still have to make phone calls, translate and fill out all their forms.

The child has to want change.

I have friends from childhood who blame their parents or racism. They think it isn’t fair for X reason. Others don’t make excuses and just worked hard.


I have met some of the Afghan evacuation refugees and so many of children are just like you were. They have learned English so quickly - for survival really. They are the translators. This 9yo girl was sent along with her mother to an even l was giving her a ride to and she came as her translator.


Clearly my typos shows the little girl speaks English better than l do 🤦‍♀️
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.



This.

OP, please look this up. How much $$ is being spent on the worst schools vs the best ones?


You can if you throw enough money to equalize the benefits of having a wealthy educated parent (snacks, rides, activities etc)
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.



This.

OP, please look this up. How much $$ is being spent on the worst schools vs the best ones?


You can if you throw enough money to equalize the benefits of having a wealthy educated parent (snacks, rides, activities etc)


Dcps spends an ungodly amount per kid and the pass rates for black kids on high school reading and math is in the single digits. Culture trump's money spent
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a child of poor Asian immigrants. I hated being poor. My parents taught me that with education, you can move from the bottom to the top. I was a free lunch kid. I had to translate for my parents. I filled out all their forms. We now have a seven figure income. I still have to make phone calls, translate and fill out all their forms.

The child has to want change.

I have friends from childhood who blame their parents or racism. They think it isn’t fair for X reason. Others don’t make excuses and just worked hard.


I have met some of the Afghan evacuation refugees and so many of children are just like you were. They have learned English so quickly - for survival really. They are the translators. This 9yo girl was sent along with her mother to an even l was giving her a ride to and she came as her translator.


I had an afghan Uber driver recently who came five years ago. I was impressed how good his English was. He was so grateful at the opportunities his children have in America.

Dh is now a physician but we grew up in dire circumstances when we first moved to the US.

I don’t understand why poor Americans with no language barriers with so many opportunities don’t take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.



This.

OP, please look this up. How much $$ is being spent on the worst schools vs the best ones?


You can if you throw enough money to equalize the benefits of having a wealthy educated parent (snacks, rides, activities etc)


Dcps spends an ungodly amount per kid and the pass rates for black kids on high school reading and math is in the single digits. Culture trump's money spent


DP -
It’s how they spend the money is what matters
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a child of poor Asian immigrants. I hated being poor. My parents taught me that with education, you can move from the bottom to the top. I was a free lunch kid. I had to translate for my parents. I filled out all their forms. We now have a seven figure income. I still have to make phone calls, translate and fill out all their forms.

The child has to want change.

I have friends from childhood who blame their parents or racism. They think it isn’t fair for X reason. Others don’t make excuses and just worked hard.


I have met some of the Afghan evacuation refugees and so many of children are just like you were. They have learned English so quickly - for survival really. They are the translators. This 9yo girl was sent along with her mother to an even l was giving her a ride to and she came as her translator.


I had an afghan Uber driver recently who came five years ago. I was impressed how good his English was. He was so grateful at the opportunities his children have in America.

Dh is now a physician but we grew up in dire circumstances when we first moved to the US.

I don’t understand why poor Americans with no language barriers with so many opportunities don’t take advantage of the opportunities given to them.


It’s cultural. If you like books and speak grammatically correctly you are a nerd and act “not like our people”
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Schools cannot overcome the parental advantage/ disadvantage faced by kids 18 hours a day outside of school. You cannot just throw $ at the problem.



This.

OP, please look this up. How much $$ is being spent on the worst schools vs the best ones?


You can if you throw enough money to equalize the benefits of having a wealthy educated parent (snacks, rides, activities etc)


Most studies show that throwing money at the school system does not get results. Look at the Baltimore school system.
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